﻿152 
  

  

  THE 
  NATIONAL 
  GEOGRAPHIC 
  MAGAZINE 
  

  

  Photograph 
  by 
  Herbert 
  Turner 
  

  

  LITTLE 
  SABA, 
  WITH 
  BOTTOM 
  AT 
  ITS 
  TOP 
  

  

  This 
  Dutch 
  island 
  is 
  nothing 
  more 
  than 
  a 
  quiescent 
  volcano 
  protruding 
  from 
  the 
  sea. 
  

   A 
  sailor 
  once 
  flippantly 
  dubbed 
  it 
  "Napoleon's 
  Cocked 
  Hat," 
  because 
  of 
  a 
  fancied 
  resemblance 
  

   to 
  the 
  Emperor's 
  headwear, 
  and 
  the 
  geographical 
  nickname 
  has 
  stuck 
  to 
  it. 
  

  

  Dutch-owned 
  St. 
  Eustatius 
  and 
  quaint 
  

   little 
  Saba. 
  The 
  latter, 
  barely 
  five 
  miles 
  

   in 
  diameter, 
  looks 
  from 
  the 
  sea 
  as 
  if 
  it 
  

   were 
  uninhabited 
  ; 
  but 
  tucked 
  away 
  inside 
  

   the 
  cone 
  of 
  its 
  single 
  volcanic 
  mountain 
  

   a 
  seafaring 
  people 
  have 
  built 
  their 
  toy 
  

   town 
  with 
  white-walled 
  and 
  red-roofed 
  

   houses, 
  which, 
  with 
  a 
  characteristic 
  

   Dutch 
  mental 
  quirk, 
  they 
  have 
  named 
  

   Bottom. 
  Up 
  and 
  down 
  the 
  sides 
  of 
  the 
  

   mountain 
  to 
  the 
  sea 
  they 
  are 
  content 
  to 
  

   run 
  several 
  times 
  a 
  day, 
  to 
  engage 
  in 
  

   fishing, 
  which 
  furnishes 
  them 
  a 
  liveli- 
  

   hood 
  (see 
  illustration 
  above). 
  

  

  The 
  waters 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  the 
  Virgin 
  

   [slands, 
  from 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  Sir 
  Francis 
  

   Drake, 
  were 
  frequented 
  by 
  sea-rovers 
  of 
  

   c\crv 
  class 
  and 
  description. 
  Because 
  of 
  

   the 
  numerous 
  islands 
  in 
  the 
  group, 
  Co- 
  

   lumbus, 
  when 
  he 
  saw 
  them, 
  on 
  St. 
  Ur- 
  

   sula's 
  day, 
  named 
  them 
  after 
  her 
  eleven 
  

   thousand 
  virgins, 
  and 
  the 
  "Virgins" 
  has 
  

   clung 
  to 
  them, 
  a 
  group 
  name, 
  though 
  the 
  

   sea-rovers 
  rechristened 
  numerous 
  points 
  

   in 
  the 
  cluster 
  with 
  names 
  that 
  irreligiously 
  

   smack 
  of 
  pirate 
  lore, 
  such 
  as 
  Rum 
  Island, 
  

  

  Dead 
  Man's 
  Chest, 
  Salt 
  Water 
  Money 
  

   Rock, 
  Flanagan's 
  Pass, 
  Dog 
  Rock, 
  Fallen 
  

   Jerusalem, 
  and 
  Beef 
  Island. 
  

  

  ST. 
  THOMAS, 
  RENDEZVOUS 
  OE 
  BLACK- 
  

   BEARD'S 
  MEN 
  

  

  The 
  Virgins 
  lie 
  less 
  than 
  fifty 
  miles 
  

   east 
  of 
  Porto 
  Rico. 
  The 
  three 
  principal 
  

   islands, 
  St. 
  Thomas, 
  St. 
  John, 
  and 
  St. 
  

   Croix, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  ioo 
  or 
  more 
  

   lesser 
  units 
  of 
  the 
  group, 
  are 
  plainly 
  vis- 
  

   ible 
  from 
  the 
  deck 
  of 
  an 
  approaching 
  

   steamer 
  (see 
  illustrations, 
  pp. 
  162, 
  174). 
  

  

  Life 
  was 
  turbulent 
  in 
  St. 
  Thomas 
  in 
  

   the 
  days 
  when 
  Edward 
  Teach 
  drove 
  his 
  

   lean 
  pinnaces, 
  filled 
  with 
  half-naked 
  cut- 
  

   throats 
  — 
  black, 
  white, 
  and 
  yellow 
  — 
  into 
  

   the 
  pretty 
  harbor 
  at 
  Charlotte 
  Amalie 
  

   (now 
  officially 
  known 
  as 
  St. 
  Thomas), 
  

   built 
  his 
  castle 
  on 
  one 
  of 
  its 
  hills, 
  and 
  

   scoured 
  the 
  seas 
  for 
  the 
  slow-moving, 
  

   carved 
  and 
  gilded 
  Spanish 
  galleons, 
  which 
  

   were 
  hauling 
  the 
  wealth 
  of 
  the 
  Indies 
  to 
  

   the 
  mother 
  country. 
  This 
  adventurer 
  

   even 
  dared 
  to 
  anchor 
  his 
  pirate 
  craft 
  as 
  

   far 
  north 
  as 
  Charleston, 
  South 
  Carolina, 
  

  

  